Hi everyone. It's the last chapter of the summer, nooooo! School starts on Wednesday for me; back to homework, projects, and papers. But I will obviously continue to write as much as I can. For those of you starting school soon as well, I hope you get off to a good start. Enjoy!
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Chapter 37: Don't Screw Up
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The exams ended the following day. Kakashi wasn't present to see students rejoicing throughout the halls. He was in the Room of Requirement, practicing, again. He had spent almost the entire week doing so, and it felt good to get back into a normal rhythm. He had soon discovered that his body was incredibly out of shape, at least for him. But by the end of exams, he felt he had regained much of what he had lost due to lack of activity and the delicious meals made by the Hogwarts house elves.
The blue beam of electricity dissipated from the end of his wand as he let go of his chakra. The six wooden dummies surrounding him fell to the floor in charred pieces. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, returning his wand to his kunai holster. When he opened them again, the remains of the dummies had disappeared.
It was getting late, he realized, looking at the large grandfather clock in the corner. Going over to the table where he had left his back pack and robes, he removed his ANBU armor and shoved it unceremoniously in the bag. He had left his katana and his mask back in the dormitory, but he wanted to practice while wearing his armor, since he would be leaving soon, and he didn't want to go back to Konoha completely unprepared. The armor was not as nearly as lightweight as it looked, and he had had to train a lot harder the first time around to get used to it. Shrugging on his robes over his normal clothes, (He hadn't bothered to put on the entire uniform when he was just going to be training anyway.) he shouldered the pack and headed out the door.
He hadn't so much as walked three steps into the corridor when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand out. Someone was watching him. He stopped, standing in the middle of the corridor, and whirled around suddenly, whipping out his wand. He swore several times in his head upon facing the unwelcome visitor. He let his wand hand drop but fixed the stalker with an annoyed stare.
"I thought you were above using a wand, Hatake," Snape sneered as he approached the shinobi. "A little jumpy, aren't we?"
"Well, Professor, as a friend of mine likes to say: constant vigilance," Kakashi retorted. "And for good reason apparently, since you're following me."
"Yes, it seems the threats have been turned, so to speak," Snape commented dryly. "Not by my own choice, however. The headmistress has sent me to collect you for… questioning."
Kakashi smirked, undeterred by the statement, "She's made you her errand boy."
"Hardly," Snape said, "I am also the only person who can get into my stores of Veritaserum. Lucky for you, I've run out."
The smirk did not fall from the shinobi's face, "Doesn't change a thing."
"I'm assuming you are the masked attacker that everyone is so afraid of," Snape remarked, changing the topic.
"Is that what she wants to know?" Kakashi replied evasively.
"Do you have to ask, or would you just rather not answer?"
Kakashi glared at him, but received no reaction.
"Alright," Kakashi said, "Might as well get this over with."
He looked around for a place he could stash his backpack. He could put it back in the Room of Requirement, but it would be hard to get at again. He wanted to put it somewhere where he could simply Summon it later and it wouldn't meet any resistance. He looked up at the high ceiling—aha. Perfect.
"Uh," he looked at Snape and realized he didn't really have an explanation for what he was about to do, "Hang on a second."
Snape's frown only deepened, but he folded his arms and remained where he was.
Kakashi focused his chakra to his feet and charged at the wall. He ran up to the small window near the ceiling. Perching on it and glancing at the view of the grounds, he dropped the bag on the sill and jumped to a nearby rafter. He swung from it, dropping down, and landed lightly in front of a very bemused potions professor.
Kakashi stood from his kneeling position, "Should be safe up there," he remarked casually.
Snape only side stepped him and lead the way to Umbridge's office. Kakashi couldn't help but smirk again. He supposed the professor, like him, wasn't surprised by much of anything anymore.
The journey was conducted in silence until they approached the corridor leading to Umbridge's office. They both stopped upon hearing a scuffle and a short yelp, followed by the office door slamming.
Snape peered over his shoulder at the shinobi critically.
"I'm not the only one being 'questioned', am I?" Kakashi said darkly.
A loud scream penetrated the door. Kakashi thought he recognized Hermione's voice.
"Dammit," the shinobi swore, "I leave them alone for a few hours…"
He walked around in front of Snape and held out his arm.
"We're going to have to do this the hard way," he said, "Take me in."
Snape gripped Kakashi's upper arm, "With pleasure," he replied and marched Kakashi to the closed door. Just before he put his hand on the knob, he stopped. Kakashi looked at the professor, surprised. He didn't figure Snape to be the hesitant type. "Don't screw up," he said, without looking at Kakashi, but before the shinobi could say anything, Snape threw the door open.
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The door slammed against the wall as Kakashi burst into the room, twisting and wrenching his arm out of Snape's grip as he did so.
"Let go of me, you—"
He stopped when he saw what he had walked in on. Harry was sitting in a chair before Umbridge's desk, gripping the armrests tightly but wearing a determined look on his face. Around the room stood the members of the Inquisitorial Squad, restraining Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. Rin was the only one who was standing at Umbridge's side. The headmistress herself was standing before Harry, her wand jabbed in his face. Rin only blinked as Kakashi and Snape entered and a suddenly worried look flashed across her face before it was replaced by a false calmness.
"Snape," Umbridge straightened up to her full height from bending over Harry, though this did not make her much taller. "I see you have the boy. And the evidence?"
"Yes, headmistress," Snape removed a quill and an ordinary goblet from a pocket in his robes. He performed some complicated wand waving over the two objects and they both suddenly grew larger. The quill transformed into Kakashi's katana, the goblet into his ANBU mask. He calmly walked over and set them on the desk.
"You bastard!" he shouted, lunging at Snape, only half-acting. But before he could lay a hand on the potion's master, he was being restrained by Crabbe and Goyle. He stuggled against them for a few seconds and then feebly relented, glaring daggers at Snape.
"Excellent, Snape!" Umbridge exclaimed gleefully, "And the Veritaserum?"
"I'm afraid I'm all out," Snape replied tonelessly, "But it seems you have all the evidence you need…?"
"Hm? Yes… well you are dismissed then," Umbridge said, as if she hadn't paid attention to his answer at all. She waved her hand in a shooing motion.
"NO!" Harry yelled suddenly, "No, they've got Padfoot! They've got Padfoot in the place where it's hidden!"
The entire room went silent as heads turned from Harry to Snape. Kakashi realized why Harry and his friends had been caught. Something had happened to Sirius, or so Harry thought. He must have been trying to use the Floo Network through Umbridge's fireplace to get to him.
"Well, Snape, do you know what this means? What is he talking about?" Umbridge asked feverishly, still pointing her wand at Harry.
Snape glared at Harry. He slowly lowered his head once in a nod, though to anyone else, it wouldn't have looked like a nod. It looked more like a snake getting ready to strike its prey.
"No idea," Snape replied coolly, and shooting a last, questioning glance at Kakashi, swept out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Kakashi knew exactly what that look meant. It was something like, 'You'd better have a way to get out of this one.' He'd seen it too many times before.
However, this warning would be the last he would ever of see Severus Snape.
"You idiot," Kakashi shouted at Harry as soon as the door was closed, "Now she knows!"
"She knows what?" Umbridge immediately rounded on Kakashi, pointing her wand at his chest, "What are you hiding?"
Kakashi remained stubbornly silent. "Put him in the chair," the commanded Crabbe and Goyle.
Rin pulled Harry out of the chair and shoved him over to another large Slytherin boy, who held Harry's arms behind his back. Kakashi was shoved in the seat the wizard had previously occupied. For effect, he struggled against the two cronies, but soon fell motionless.
"Now," Umbridge continued, abandoning any lingering sense of false politeness, "I have all the evidence I need to prove that you threatened me two nights ago. These," she pointed at the katana and mask, "were found in your possession. Now you will tell me what you are hiding!" Her voice had been growing in volume and pitch until she was shaking slightly at her last command. Kakashi fought to keep a straight face.
"Professor," Rin piped up, "He must be working for Dumbledore! He must have attacked you on his orders!"
"Is that true?" Umbridge asked excitedly, shaking her wand in Kakashi's face, "Are you working for Dumbledore?"
Still, Kakashi did not say anything. He wanted to push her, see how far she would go…
"Fine, then" Umbridge said briskly, "You leave me no choice… but to use the Cruciatus Curse. That ought to make you talk."
"No!" Hermione suddenly shouted, "Professor, that's illegal!"
"Sometimes," the headmistress continued, nervously, "we must think of the greater good. I will not stand for such delinquency." She backed up slightly and stretched out her arm.
"Cru—"
"Alright!" Kakashi yelled, "Okay, I'll tell you everything! Just don't hurt me!" He nearly threw up at his own cowering.
"Start. Talking," Umbridge instructed, again in a higher pitch that was beginning to give Kakashi a headache.
"Yeah, Dumbledore hired me. He knew I was much more skilled in martial arts than magic, and he said he needed someone like me… He said you wouldn't expect it. He also promised he would pay me well. So far, the old man hasn't given me a damn thing," Umbridge grinned wickedly at this insulting of Dumbledore. "He gave me this special job…"
"Yes," Umbridge said quickly, "Yes, go on."
"He told me to keep you away from the Forbidden Forest," Kakashi invented. "He has a—a secret weapon."
"Tell me where it is!" she shrieked immediately.
Finally, he laid down his trap. "I can't; it's too well hidden. I'd—I'd have to show you."
Umbridge squinted at him for a moment, seemingly trying to decide if he was telling the truth.
"Very well," she concluded after a few seconds, "You will show me this weapon. Take me to it."
"…Let me go."
Umbridge turned to Rin. "What?"
"I said, let me go with you," she repeated, "He is a traitor!" she said crossly, walking over to Kakashi's side in two angry strides. She ripped off his headband and threw it across the room, so that Luna and her captor had to shuffle to the side to avoid being hit. Kakashi kept his left eye closed, but he heard someone gasp at the sight of the long scar. "He's a traitor to his country!" Rin continued, "Please, Professor, I want to see him get what he deserves," she pleaded.
Umbridge appeared satisfied with this outburst of anger from her star pupil, proud even. She nodded briskly.
"Get up," she said roughly to Kakashi, "Let's go."
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Just as they reached the grounds, Kakashi felt something jab him in the back. He didn't turn around but kept walking fast towards the forest.
"Umbridge is about five feet behind us," Kakashi heard Rin whisper from behind him, "Having trouble keeping up; told me not to let you get too far ahead… Uh, sorry about your hitai-ate."
"Don't worry about it," he whispered back.
"I'm assuming you have a plan," she said.
"Working on it," he replied, "…I never knew you were such a good actor."
"Not so bad yourself. Then again, we are trained liars, remember?" she replied, before shoving him forward.
As they entered the Forest, secretly leading Umbridge to her defeat, he never thought that that statement was truer than it was at that moment.
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What do you think? So someone asked me about the centaurs—Do you guys want centaur collaboration on the Umbridge beatdown? Or just some classic shinobi butt-kicking? I can't decide, but I think I'm leaning towards the latter. Tell me in your review, please!